According to new reports in the Taiwanese media, the reported 5.5-inch iPhone 6 has yet to enter production, and is being pushed back to September. The report doesn’t state whether this decision is deliberate on the part of Apple — perhaps as a way of confusing the market by launching two new iPhones simultaneously — or is being forced on the company as the result of manufacturing problems.

Along with previous reports stating that there will be less 5.5-inch iPhone 6 handsets produced than 4.7-inch models, this later production date would explain why there have been far fewer leaks showing the larger “phablet” iPhone 6 than the flagship 4.7-inch variant.

The report states that production capacity will be limited at first, but could increase by as much as 85 in Q4 this year — maybe aided by the much discussed arrival of FoxCon’s production robots, which are supposed to play a part in the manufacturer’s production line.

The same Taiwanese report also claims that the next iPad mini and iPad Air will enter mass production in September. Little has been heard about either device, although there have been multiple reports that both will feature Apple’s Touch ID sensor. One recent rumor to be taken with a truckload of salt claimed the next generation iPad mini will be called the iPad mini Air, and could be as much as 30 percent thinner than its predecessor.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is possibly expected to hit stores September 19.

About the author

Luke Dormehl is a UK-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems, And Create More and The Apple Revolution, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme, and other publications. He'd like you a lot if you followed him on Twitter.

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